• by John Gaffney , September 4, 2002

Wait! That Was A Good Thing: Wednesday morning it looked like Martha Stewart Omnimedia was searching for a new CEO. A brilliant idea, I thought. Takes Martha out of the media crosshairs, but leaves her in creative control of her enterprises. Gets a new face out there to meet the advertising world and assure accounts that there are no conflicts of interest at Omnimedia. Then by the end of the day, Omnimedia officially quashed the rumor. Boooooooo. I think Omnimedia needs a new person to change the focus away from questionable stock transactions and back on to media value. You don’t have to call that person a CEO. You could call that person a Chief Media Officer. You could call that person whatever it takes, but call that person. This was the best idea since the glue gun, and hopefully it’s still as hot as a tray of fresh pumpkin muffins. (Sorry, I can’t resist bad Martha puns).

Another Good Thing: I like the way the automotive industry attacks downturns. GM announced yesterday that it will continue low percentage rate financing for new cars. Great reason to advertise, great way to spur competition and a great way to sell cars. I think some other categories could learn a lesson here about being aggressive in a downturn. PC companies listening?

9/11 Tribute Done Right: If you want to see how to tastefully handle 9/11 tribute coverage, check out Wednesday’s Christian Science Monitor. Low key, informative and looking to get beyond the tragedy.